Primary school ‘Building Buddies’ welcomed to Banbury development by Orbit Homes

Children from Hill View Primary School swapped the classroom for the construction site in a trip to our Calthorpe Gardens development in Banbury, as part of our ‘Building Buddies’ educational programme.

‘Building Buddies’ is aimed at children aged 7 to 11 in Key Stage Two. The visit was designed by Orbit Homes to allow the local pupils to learn more about housebuilding and the range of skills used in the industry whilst safely exploring the new homes site.

Children tried their hand at bricklaying and had the chance to build a home of their own alongside Orbit Homes colleagues, with a special 3D model house which teaches pupils about the different stages involved in building a new home.

The students received a special completion certificate to take home after the visit.

Picture caption: Hill View Primary School’s ‘Building Buddies’ with Orbit Homes colleagues

Brian Nearney, Regional Managing Director at Orbit Homes, said: “Our Building Buddies programme is a fantastic way for our team to engage with local communities and show young people the variety of careers available within the construction industry, and just how exciting housebuilding can be.

“We were delighted to be joined by Hill View Primary School pupils at our Calthorpe Gardens development. It was great to see so many students asking questions during the tour and we loved seeing them learn more about construction and all the different job roles involved in building new homes.”

Emma Jeavons, Assistant Headteacher at Hill View Primary School, added: “Visiting Calthorpe Gardens was such a unique and enjoyable experience for our pupils, and they were really interested by the range of trades and skills used in housebuilding. This was an amazing opportunity for our students to learn about the different careers that are out there and we’d like to thank Orbit Homes for taking the time to show the children around the site and answer their questions. The pupils absolutely loved becoming ‘Building Buddies’.”

Building Buddies also offers free classroom resources, including Maths and English activities linked to day-to-day construction jobs, which are available at www.orbithomes.org.uk/about-orbit/building-buddies.

To book a Building Buddies visit or for more information, contact: building.buddies@orbit.org.uk.

Building Buddies joins ‘Eco Buddies’, another free educational programme from Orbit Homes which allows primary school children to learn more about biodiversity by building and decorating eco-friendly features alongside colleagues of the affordable housebuilder. For more information about Eco Buddies and to access the free resources available, visit: orbithomes.org.uk/eco-buddies.

Calthorpe Gardens currently offers a stylish range of Shared Ownership homes, each featuring Orbit Homes’ all-inclusive specification, which offers integrated kitchen appliances and flooring throughout the home as standard. For more information about Calthorpe Gardens, visit: www.orbithomes.org.uk/calthorpe-gardens.

Picture caption: Primary school pupils built a special 3D model house with Orbit Homes colleagues at Calthorpe Gardens in Banbury.

Picture caption: Pupils also tried their hand at bricklaying with Orbit Homes colleagues during their ‘Building Buddies’ visit to Calthorpe Gardens.